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Nghien Tran, 113, prays during a Mass being said at St. Barbara's Parish in Santa Ana. Tran has been a member of the church since 1980 when she moved from southern Vietnam to the United States. She has 10 children, 55 grandchildren and 80 great-grandchildren.

Father Augustine Vu, left, pours water over the head of Charleen Nguyen, center, as her aunt and mother watch during a baptism at St. Barbara's Parish in Santa Ana. St. Barbara's, a bilingual church, has provided a place for Vietnamese community members to practice their faith since 1962.

A cooked pig is hung by wire before being carved at New Duong Son BBQ in the Little Saigon community of Westminster. Little Saigon has become a magnet for all things Vietnamese since its beginnings as a refugee community, and the food industry helps to keep the community thriving.

Worker Rafael Fuegos takes a break from butchering chickens at Dakao Poultry in Midway City. Owner Hung Ngo opened the shop blocks away from the Little Saigon community in 2005 after retiring from the restaurant business, where he specialized in chicken noodle soup. Dakao Poultry takes pride in the freshness of their chickens, butchering and processing them the same day they are sold.

Vietnamese men engage in a game of Chinese checkers outside Cafe Chez Rose in the Little Saigon community of Westminster. Cafe Chez Rose has become a hot spot for people to gather and learn the game, continuing the tradition through generations.

Tara Mai is comforted by her sister-in-law, Kim Huynh, during the viewing of her father, Thiet Mai, a Vietnam War veteran, during a traditional Buddhist ceremony at the Peek Family Funeral Home in Westminster.

Kayla Nguyen, 9, center, and Tiffany Truong, 9, right, wait for their rides after aikido practice at Westminster Aikikai Dojo. Westminster Aikikai, established in 1987 by master Phong Thong Dang, provides a place for students to go after school.

Little Saigon turns 25

In 1988, an offramp sign on the Garden Grove Freeway marked the official birth of Little Saigon in Orange County. Now, as Vietnamese Americans toast 25 years of an enclave once sprinkled with orange groves and strawberry fields, the immigrant community spans beyond Westminster into Santa Ana, Fountain Valley and other neighboring cities.

1 Comment

Perhaps Little Saigon is officially 25 but I remember far earlier roots. In the early 70s, as a new home owner, I was searching for a source for sod for my yard and located one in Westminster. As I drove around the city, searching for the location, I began to feel a bit odd … and then it hit me: It was the architecture. I'm a Viet Nam vet and was being dragged back to Saigon in 1968.

By: Gerry Ellenson

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